VA whistleblower condemns IG report

A whistleblower who helped bring attention to extended wait times for veterans at VA hospitals says that a report by the Department of Veteran Affairs inspector general is misleading and intended to “exonerate” the VA of wrongdoing.

While the IG report found that at least 40 vets died while on electronic wait lists (EWL) and numerous veterans were forced to wait for extended periods of time for treatment, the report’s authors were “unable to conclusively assert” that electronic wait list (EWL) times caused the deaths.

The report also claims that whistleblowers did not provide them with a list of the forty patients who allegedly died while awaiting care. Instead, the investigators “conducted a broader review of 3,409 patients identified from multiple sources.”

Utilizing electronic records from the Phoenix VA, the report continues, “we were able to identify 40 patients who died while on the EWL during the period April 2013 through April 2014.”

Out of the 3,409 patients reviewed, investigators found “28 instances of clinically significant delays in care associated with access to care or patient scheduling.”